2005 in Ireland

Incumbents

* President - Mary McAleese
* Taoiseach - Bertie Ahern
* Tánaiste - Mary Harney

Events

January

*January 1 - Cork officially becomes the European Capital of Culture for 2005. Ireland celebrated the Hamilton year of physics
*January 1 - Littlepace housing estate in Clonee struck by a small tornado
*January 6 - The Irish Farmers Association celebrates its 50th anniversary.
*January 8 - The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Dermot Ahern TD, begins a visit to the area in South-East Asia that was devastated by the recent tsunami.
*January 18 - An Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, begins a trade mission to China. He is accompanied by one third of the Cabinet, including Micheál Martin, Mary Hanafin, Mary Coughlan and Noel Dempsey.
*January 20 - The Republic of Ireland officially changes all road signage and regulations to use kilometres per hour (km/h). Distance and speed in Northern Ireland remain in miles per hour.
*January 20 - Belfast man Robert McCartney is murdered outside a bar in the city by members of the Provisional IRA.
*January 24 - The former Minister for Justice Ray Burke is jailed for six months for tax evasion, as a result of legislation he introduced. He is the first Cabinet minister to be jailed as a result of the tribunals of inquiry.

February

*February 7 - An Taoiseach Bertie Ahern lays the foundation stone of a new town called Adamstown, just outside Lucan, County Dublin.
*February 17 - Seven people are detained by Gardaí for suspected activities in relation to the bank heist in Belfast in December 2004. £2.3 million sterling is seized in County Cork.

March

*March 4 - The 100th Sinn Féin Ard-Fheis opens at the Royal Dublin Society in Ballsbridge, Dublin.
*March 11 - The Irish Sugar Company factory in Carlow closes for good with the loss of several hundred jobs. The factory was Ireland's oldest sugar factory.
*March 17 - St. Patrick's Day: The sisters and fiancée of murdered Belfast-man, Robert McCartney, meet US President George W. Bush in the United States.
*March 27 - Cian O'Connor is stripped of his Olympic gold medal after the sports ruling body find that his horse, Waterford Crystal had banned substances in its system during the Olympic Games in 2004.

April

*April 2 - There is prayer, mourning and remembrance in honour of Pope John Paul II following his death in Rome at 20:37 Irish time.
*April 4 - The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Dermot Ahern TD, is appointed one of four special envoys for United Nations reform by the UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan.
*April 8 - The late Pope John Paul II is laid to rest in Rome. President Mary McAleese and An Taoiseach Bertie Ahern represent the Irish people at his funeral. There is a remembrance service under the papal cross in the Phoenix Park, Dublin.
*April 16 - The annual congress of the Gaelic Athletic Association votes to open up Croke Park and allow soccer and rugby to be played there under certain circumstances.
*April 19 - President McAleese and An Taoiseach Bertie Ahern convey messages of congratulations to the newly elected Pope Benedict XVI.

May

*May 14 - President Mary McAleese's official state car is involved in a minor road accident in County Meath. The President and her driver escape injury.
*May 23 - Five schoolgirls die and many other people are injured in a collision involving a crowded Bus Éireann school bus and two other vehicles in Co Meath.
*June 13 - The Irish language is granted official status as a working language within the European Union.

June

*June 30 - The M50 motorway is finally completed, 34 years after the route was first envisaged and 17 years after construction began.

July

*July 7 - An Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, meets Pope Benedict XVI for a private audience in Rome.
*July 16 - Irish student, Tara Whelan (17) and a British holidaymaker were among five people killed in the popular tourist resort of Kuşadası, in Turkey.
*July 28 - In what has been described as an "historic" day the Provisional Irish Republican Army ends its armed campaign and orders all its units to dump arms. The organisation also orders its members not to engage in any other activities of any kind.
*July 29 - 45-year-old Limerick woman, Dolores McNamara, scoops €115 million after winning the Euromillions rollover jackpot prize. It is Europe's largest ever lottery jackpot.

eptember

*September 7 - At Lansdowne Road, Dublin the Republic of Ireland lose 1-0 to France in a crucial soccer World Cup qualifier. On the same night at Windsor Park, Belfast, Northern Ireland beat England 1-0. It is the first time since 1927 that the team has beaten England at home.
* September 15 - The population of Ireland officially has the highest population since 1861. The increase is owed to immigration by Irish people abroad and immigrants from Europe and Asia.
* September 19 - Irish Ferries offers voluntary redundancy packages to its 543 seafaring workers.
* September 26 - In a move described as "the day the gun was taken out of Irish politics", the head of the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning, General John de Chastelain, says that he is satisfied that the Irish Republican Army has completed the decommissioning of its entire arsenal of weapons.

October

* October 14 - Following the failure of the Republic of Ireland to qualify for World Cup 2006 in Germany, Roy Keane announces his retirement from the international game.
* October 18 Dr Tiede Herrema returns to the city of Limerick from which he was kidnapped 30 year ago in a high profile case. Dr Herrema presents his personal papers relating to the issue to the University of Limerick Library.
* October 20 - The abducted journalist Rory Carroll is released unharmed after being kidnapped in Iraq on the previous day.
* October 22 - On the second day of the Fianna Fáil Ard-Fheis in Killarney, news breaks that the former party member and TD, Liam Lawlor, is killed in a car accident in Moscow.
* October 25 - Report on The Ferns Inquiry is published into clerical sex abuse in Diocese of Ferns

November

* November 1 - The Government launches the biggest national transport plan in the history of the state. The strategy, known as Transport 21, will allow for €34.4 million to be spent on roads, rail and the Dublin metro over a ten year period.
* November 18 - Cork City FC win the eircom League of Ireland for the second time in their history in front of a capacity crowd at Turners Cross Stadium.
* November 18 - Roy Keane sensationally leaves Manchester United in a decision that was said to be by mutual consent.
* November 24 - Abbas Boutrab becomes the first non republican or loyalist to be convicted in the diplock courts of Northern Ireland - he is convinced of having information that could be used to bomb an airliner.
* November 25 - George Best, the man described as the greatest association football player of his or any generation, dies in London after several months of declining health.

December

* December 6 - The Irish-born broadcaster Terry Wogan receives a knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II in London in recognition of his services to broadcasting.
* December 8 - President Mary McAleese meets Queen Elizabeth II at Hillsborough Castle. It is the first time that the two heads of state meet in Ireland.
* December 8 - A car bomb heading to Blanchardstown is intercepted by Gardaí and members of Special Branch at the M50 Westlink Toll Bridge, man was arrested and he is believed to be connected to the continunity IRA

Arts and literature

*Colm Tóibín is awarded the prestigious Los Angeles Times Book Award for his novel "The Master".
*John Banville wins the Man Booker Prize for his novel "The Sea".

port

Association Football

* World Cup 2006 Qualification
**Republic of Ireland 1-1 Israel
**Republic of Ireland 2-2 Israel
**Republic of Ireland 2-0 Faroe Islands
**Republic of Ireland 0-1 France
**Republic of Ireland 1-0 Cyprus
**Republic of Ireland 0-0 Switzerland
**Northern Ireland 0-4 England
**Northern Ireland 0-1 Poland
**Northern Ireland 2-0 Azerbaijan
**Northern Ireland 1-0 England
**Northern Ireland 2-3 Wales
**Northern Ireland 0-2 Austria::Both Ireland teams failed to qualify

*"'Setanta Cup::Winners: Linfield F.C.
* Eircom League::Winners: Cork City F.C.
*Irish League::Winners: Glentoran
*Irish Cup::Winners: Portadown F.C.
* FAI Carlsberg Cup::Drogheda United F.C. 2-0 Cork City F.C.
*The IFA celebrated it's 125th Anniversary
*The UEFA under 19 European championship was hosted by Ireland, with the final won by France in Windsor Park on the 29th of July
*There was an all-Irish clash in the first qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League. Shelbourne defeated Glentoran 6-2 on aggregate. Shels lost out in the following round to Steaua Bucharest.

Gaelic games

* All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final
**Cork 1-21 : 1-16 Galway
* Christy Ring Cup Final
**Westmeath 1-23 : 2-18 Down
* Nicky Rackard Cup Final
**London 5-8 : 1-5 Louth
* All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final
**Tyrone 1-16 : 2-10 Kerry
* Tommy Murphy Cup Final
**Tipperary 1-16 : 2-10 Wexford
* All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship Final
**Cork 1-17 : 1-13 Tipperary
* All-Ireland Senior Ladies Football Championship Final
**Cork 1-11 : 0-8 Galway
* 2005 International Rules Series
**Australia by 57 points

Golf

*Pádraig Harrington wins the Honda Classic at Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.
*Paul McGinley Wins the Volvo Masters at Valderrama Golf Club in Spain.
*Nissan Irish Open is won by Stephen Dodd (Wales).

Rugby Union

* 2005 Six Nations Championship
**Ireland 28-17 Italy
**Ireland 40-13 Scotland
**Ireland 19-13 England
**Ireland 19-26 France
**Ireland 20-32 Wales
* Autumn Internationals
**Ireland 7-45 New Zealand
**Ireland 14-30 Australia
**Ireland 43-12 Romania
* 2004-05 Heineken Cup
** Munster and Leinster both qualify for the quarter-finals but fail to progress.

Deaths

January to March

*1 January - Patrick Denis O'Donnell, military historian, writer and former Commandant of the Irish Defence Forces (b.1922).
*4 January - Paul Darragh, showjumper (b.1953).
*7 January - Eileen Desmond, Irish Labour Party TD, Cabinet Minister, MEP and Seanad Éireann member (b.1932).
*11 January - Ian Anderson, former President of the Legislative Council of the Isle of Man (b.1925).
*27 January - Gordon Lambert, art collector and former member of the Seanad (b.1919).
*17 February - Dan O'Herlihy, actor (b.1919).
*9 March - Michael O'Higgins, Fine Gael TD and Senator (b.1917).
*10 March - Dave Allen, comedian (b.1936).

April to June

*2 April - Jack Stanley Gibson, surgeon and writer (b.1909).
*11 April - Mattie McDonagh, former Gaelic footballer with Galway (b.1936).
*1 May - Doc Carroll, former showband singer.
*1 June - Geoffrey Toone, actor (b.1910).
*7 June - Seán Doherty, former Fianna Fáil TD and Cabinet Minister (b.1944).
*18 June - Gerald Davis, artist (b.1938).
*19 June - Tom Curran, 86, former Waterford hurler.
*27 June - Frank Harte, singer and song collector (b.1933).

July to September

*30 July - Tony Tighe, former Cavan Gaelic footballer.
*6 August - James Wilson, composer (b.1922).
*14 August - George Carpenter, Ireland's longest-living Olympian.
*21 August - Liam Burke, former Fine Gael TD (b.1928).
*27 August - Seán Purcell, former Gaelic footballer with Galway (b.1928).
*8 September - Noel Cantwell, former international soccer player (b.1932).
*10 September - Pádraig Bourke, former Kildare Gaelic footballer.
*15 September - James Gogarty, former engineer and Flood Tribunal whistleblower.
*21 September - Humphrey Kelleher, former Gaelic footballer with Cork.

October to December

*5 October - Maura Murphy, writer (b.1928).
*22 October - Liam Lawlor, Fianna Fáil politician, resigned following a finding that he had failed to co-operate with a planning irregularities investigation (b.1944).
*23 October - Jack Mahon, former Gaelic footballer with Galway (b.1933.
*30 October - Peter Driscoll, author and Chief Radio News sub-editor with Radio Telefís Éireann.
*25 November - James McLoughlin, Roman Catholic Bishop of Galway (b.1929).
*6 December - Tim Kennelly, former Gaelic footballer with Kerry (b.1954).
*26 December - Hugh Lambert, journalist and editor (b.1944).